Whether you are someone you love is addicted to drugs it’s a never ending cycle of wanting to achieve and chasing the high of the drug. The most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, tranquilizers, heroin and methamphetamine or speed. Alcohol and prescription pain medications are “legal” but that does not mean you can not become addicted to them-and many people are.

The problem with achieving the high continually is that it eventually wears off. More drugs need to be used as time goes by to attain the same affect. Families, employment, school all begin to suffer as the drugs become the most important thing in their life.

Anyone using drugs has the potential for drug abuse. Even moms in suburbia that need help with sleeping or anxiety to teenagers and kids pressured by friends to try marijuana or ecstasy. Kids are at the highest risk level because one they are immature, the pressures and stress put upon them, they are curious and want to see what it’s like, or they may try something because they view it as something fun to do at a party. If people are depressed or have a family history of drug abuse they are also more likely to try a drug.

You may have a drug addiction problem if you have any of the following signs;

Read the rest of this entry »

Teenage drug abuse (and teenage alcoholism) is a very serious problem. Many families remain in denial about teenage substance abuse including both teenage alcoholism and teenage drug abuse). Often, by the time the parents bring in their troubled youth for a psychiatric evaluation with me, the drug problem is out of control. Here is a recent case from my practice:

R.H. is 17 years old. He has Attention Deficit Disorder and has always had some difficulty in school. His parents report he is impulsive and argumentative. They assume this behavior goes along with his being a teenager. He stays out late with his friends on a regular basis. His parents, looking back on the last year, suspect their son is using drugs, but they are not sure. When they question him about his whereabouts, he is very evasive. They think he is hanging out with the wrong crowd.

If you suspect your teen who is a troubled youth is using drugs, look over these 10 signs of possible teenage drug abuse:

Is your teen skipping classes?
Have his grades dropped recently?
Have there been changes in his personality in the last year?
Is your troubled teen secretive and defensive about his whereabouts if you question him?
Is he hanging out with the wrong crowd?
Has he quit participating in family activities?
Does he have sudden mood changes with irritability?
Is your teen stealing money from you?
Has his appetite diminished?
Has his sleep pattern changed?

Read the rest of this entry »

For a lot of people it’s very hard for them to understand why people become addicted to drugs or alcohol. For these people they experience a normal life and can cope with whatever stress the day throws their way. Because they can cope with their problems they often view those who cannot as being weak. They think that drug abuse and addiction can simply be stopped if the person is mentally strong enough, and that changing their behaviors will help fix their problem. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Friends, family and co-workers often have no understanding of the complexities of addiction. Few are willing to recognize or accept that it is a disease, and because of the way it affects the brain the person is not capable of using willpower to stop. Many don’t realize that with current medical advances, there are now treatment methods that will help the addict and will work, allowing them to lead happy and productive lives again.

Addiction is a condition that at its most basic level, is a brain disease that causes the addict to become compulsive about using despite the consequences that will result from this behavior. It actually changes the function and structure of one’s brain. In the beginning the decision to start is often of their own choosing, but in time the changes caused to the brain will cause a person to lose control of their ability to moderate their usage, as well as affecting their judgment to make a decision to stop. The impulses from the brain can be so intense that they simply cannot stop.

Read the rest of this entry »